Convertible club furniture



April 21, 1925. 1,535,044

0. SCHARL CONVERTIBLE CLUB FURNITURE Filed June 13, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l g I I] [HHRL 5 5 L'HHR L IN V EN TOR BY 'WWW TORNE Y April 21, 1925. I 1,535,044 C. SCHARL CONVERTIBLE CLUB FURNITURE Filed June 13. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 21, 1925. 1,535,044 4 c. SCHARL CONVERTIBLE ,CLU'B FURNITURE Filed June 13, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 k K N \QKK @BBEE [HHRLES SLHHRL' INVENTOR BY A TORNEY Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

, UNITED STATES GHAIRLES SCHABL, OF NEW! YORK, N. Y.

CONVERTIBLE CLUB FURNITURE.

Application filed June 13.

T 0 all whom 2'25 may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES Sonann, a citizen of Hungary, and resident of New York, N. Y., in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Club Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

- My invention relates to convertible furnitures and has for its main object to provide a device of the mentioned nature which would combine several pieces of furniture in one structure so that said device might be used for a number of purposes, like as a bed, or as a table, or a sofa, or chairs, at different times, or as several of them simultaneousl that is, for more than one of the above men tioned purposes at the same time. It embodies, essentially, a supporting frame structure, made preferably of steel, and a second 'movable frame structure applied rotatably in said supporting structure and having a foldable table and chairs applied to it. A third frame structure is applied slidably in said supporting structure and in connection with said rotatable frame, for the purpose of automatically holding the bedding and other loose covering pieces for said convertible furniture, and the different parts of said convertible furniture are arranged and connected in such a way as to semiautomatically fit into the positions required for the several uses of said furniture. The invention has further objects which will be apparent the description of the same proceeds. v

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of the construction of the same for effecting the various results mentioned hereinbefore reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings.

l/Vhile the essential and characteristic features of the invention are susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1, is a side elevational view of the convertible furniture, the table and one of the chairs being shown in the position when used, the other chair being shown in a folded position, as when out of use. while the rotating frame composing the bed device of the furniture is shown in the veitical position as when not used for a bed. In this figure as well as all other figures my device is shown 1922. Serial No. 568,050.

in a skeleton way, that is only the structural and mechanical elements of the same are shown ithout any covering, finishing, upholstering, or beddings. These auxiliary attachments and finishings can be executed and attached to the structure shown in any manner suitable to the user; they do not pertain to the merit of the invention, and I have omitted them from my drawings in order to serve the cleai'ness of them.

Fig. 2, is a plan view of my device, the bed frame being folded down into the position when it is used as a bed,

Fig. 8, is a side view of my device, showing the chairs and the table in a position as when used, the bed frame serving as a back for said chairs, and the sliding frame, be hind the bed frame, being raised to-hold the bedding,

Fig. 4, is a detail view of a sliding device used in connection with the table piece of my invention,

Fig. 5, is another detail view,.showing the connections between the bed frame and the sliding frame,

Figs. 6, 7, and 8, are tain parts of my device.

Referring more closely to the drawings, 9 indicates the supporting base structure which is preferably made of standard structural irons, and is of a narrow longitudinal shape. The base structure is movable on casters 10 or other anti-friction devices applied to the lower ends of legs 11. The bed frame 12 is applied to said base frame 9 and is rotatable in it on pins 13. A table 14 and two chairs 15, 15 are hingedly applied to the lower surface of said bed frame and to the base frame, respectively; the table is in the center and the two chairs at either side of same. The two chairs have rest pieces 16, 16' firmly attached to them at their outer ends, thus forming two end pieces for my furniture when it is placed in a position to be used as a bed or also when it is used as a table and detail views of cerchairs. The chairs 15 have legs 17 liingedly' lowerend of which is attached hingedly to the base frame, while the upper end has a throughsecuring means 22, thereby automatically insuring the openmg of the table in case the bed fra'me l2 is put" into a vertical position and the folding of the same when the bed frame is placed into a horizontal dsition. In case the bed frame put. in a Ver tical position for the purpose of storing the metastable na b f ld -Qwe ty,

out oft-use, insuring very reduced space re-n quirements fer, the furniture in a horizontal dinectione In the latter case,cha1rs l5 w ll be similarlyjoldecl upwardly to vertical bed frame 12,, the-side ,arm pieces lfi rotat ng ith e folded: chair. ,15 and [disappear-111g intothe openings ,inthe ,base frame as will e plained me l fld ta l-i An extension frame, 23; is attached tothew.

back of the base frame 9 and a longitudinal space24 is. thereby formed between base frame 9" and said extension frame 23, in,

whiohiaholding frame 25 may slide in. an

upward vorndownward direction, A shorter frame. 27 is hingedly applied tothe to edge of frame ,25 and; may I be folded down upon the same as shown x the full lines in F g.

l3, or it may be opened up, for certain purr poses to be explained presently, "and as vzindicatednbythedotted' line position of the v The main purpose of same in said figure. 7 frame, 25 to catch; and hold the. bedding appliedto bedframe 12 whensaid-frame is in a vertical position, and when the. furniture is used for other purposes, than a bed. There are. automatic inter-connections be,- tween the holding frame 2,5 and bedframe 12 to insurethat saidholding {frame will an:

tomatically disappear in case. the furniture is used asatbed and same may beyauto matically; uraised -to the position, shown on Fig. 3,; and .;adapted to .hold the, bedding wwhen the furniture; is not usedr as. a bed. Thes automatic; ,COHBQCUODS consist of cer tain levers, ichains aud pulleys. Rotatableu levers 29 11am applied tothe back of the bed frame 12 Fig. rotating. around pins 30,

' applied. to bed frame 12,, but are independcut of said frame. Aslongitudi-nal piece 31 connects the .two end levers 29 (Fig 2);

and :formsa frame structure with the same. To-ins-urea moreuniform action, additional rotating levers 32am applied tothe rein-. forcing-memberss33wof thebed frame and hing' 'edly joined, to them Figs. 2, 6., and 7 )1;

Saidintermediate levers 32are-also connect-- ed tothelongitudinal piece31-and rest nor-u mallyson uprights 34. A chain 35 is se cured to the lower end of bed frame 12, as

at. 36, and also to the lower end of. holding frame 25,'as at 37. The chain is led through pulley 38 (Figs. 3 and 5); attached to the lever 29. Similar chains and pulleys are working between bed frame 12 and holding frame at the two-ends of said frame in wardly-so that frame 25 will slide by its own i weight into the space 24 and disappear in a the back=of the structure, making a perfect horizontal bed surface for my convertible; furniturew The chairs 15,15 willrdrop into a horizontal positionby their own Weights, resting on legs 17,-:orthey may be opened up into such position and give additional firm support tothe bed frame.

Arm pieces '16 willserve as head and foot of the befd respectively. y

In case I want to use my convertible fur niture as a table and a pair of arm chairs, I swing the frame 12 upward around pins 13in a slightly-slanting vertical position as shown-in Fig. 3;: The mattrcssesand the rest of the bedding, that is the loose coverings, pillows,etc. will tend to slide off down wardly, which tendency nevertheless will be counteracted by the frame 25 1 moving up from behind the base frame 9-. As-the outer-l end of tl1eframe12 is swinging;upwardly, the lower one,marked 36 will movedowm wardly and will move the frame 25* up wardly out of the space 24: providedfor the'same through the action of the chains 35. The frame 25rtherefore will gradually I and gently catch the bedding and keep itdn a similar position as when in usesothat at a su-bsequentopening,of the convertibie furniture to be used as a bed all the neces sary bedding willagain be in its place:

After having moved the bed framewintoits'vertical tilted position and havingstorod? the bedding betweensaid frameoandwt heholding frame 25, I vnow may open, the 31m as the back for them,. may be finished-and ornamented in any way. suitableg to the-user. In order to keep theframe in 16S; positivn,

rest-s 39 are provided at reinforcing meme ber 4010f the base frame structure 1-9; A 1

further security for holding the frame lg and the chairs in "a rigid position against one another is the construction applied to secured together in a similar way to that used on the hinges of a door and released when the bolts 42 are removed. Bolts 42 are secured by chains 43 hanging on them when out of use.

I finally may also use my convertible furniture as an ornamental sofa adapted to be used for sitting and resting during the day. In order to bring the same into this form, I swing the bed frame '12 downwardly into a horizontal position like when using the same for a bed and as indicated in Fig. 3 in dotted lines. In this case however I do not let holding frame 25 slide downwardly into the space 24 but my device will automatically lift the same above the level of the bed. I then lean the lower edge of it against supporting structure 26, open the folding upper frame 27 and rest it on the bed surface as shown in Fig. 3 in dotted lines, thereby forming a comfortable rest similar to those employed on sofas. The loose bedding and coverings for the bed may be made so, that part of them may be folded up and over the frames 25 and 27 thereby giving my furniture the appearance of a perfect sofa and contributing to the comfort that may be derived from the same. The automatic lifting of the frame 25 in case of using my furniture as a sofa is executed the following way: The lower ends of the chains 43 holding the bolts 42 are secured to the swinging levers 29. When the furniture is to be used as a sofa the bolts 42 are applied into the sleeves 41 on the sides of the bed frame 12 without connecting the same to the sleeves on the sides of the arm rests 16. The chairs are opened with their legs and arm rests and the frame 12 brought into the horizontal bed position. Connecting the chains 43 however as explained hereinbefore, will cause the levers 29 and frame 31 to move upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3 in dotted lines, chains 35 and pulleys 38 will move into the positions 35 and 38 thereby lifting the lower edge of frame 25 to the upper level of the bed and said edge can now be leaned against the upper edge of the structural piece 26 and brought into theposition necessary for making a sofa out of a bed.

If I do not desire to use my furniture in any of its three positions, it can be folded up into a relatively very small space (my preferred embodiment requires only sixteen inches space in width when folded) and stored or kept alongside any wall or in any corner of the room. In this case the bed frame is brought into its vertical position without using the sofa attachment so that frame 25 will catch and hold the loose bedding, and the table and chairs are folded upwardly to the lower surface of the bed frame, arm rests 16 swinging backwardly and downwardly and disappearing into spaces 44 provided for this purpose in base frame 9. One of the characteristic and distinguishing features of my convertible furniture is that it uses the very same space of the room as a bed, a sofa or a table and arm chairs, according to the necessity.

As will be seen from the above description and by inspecting the accompanying drawings, my invention has many distinct improvements and merits and I do not want my convertible furniture to be classed with the usual folding :tyle of devices. There are no parts to be folded in this furniture which would be destroyed by the steady wear and tear accompanying such repeated foldings and fiattenings. All the parts are easy and free to access for inspection and for repairs or are easily removable, like the beddings .and the mattresses. The air and the sunshine can reach every part of my furniture and no dust can collect in the same, it therefore is as sanitary as any such furniture can be. In every position of its uses it is aesthetic and it is so when folded up for storage. Another improvement that I employ in my convertible furniture is that the central part of the mattresses, which I employ in three sections fitting into suitable openings in the bed frame 12, is a perfect square and can be turned around into always new positions so that the wear and tear of the same will be uniform. For a similar reason the two side sections of the mattresses can be easily exchanged with one another.

A further advantage of my convertible furniture against most of those used here tofore is that it has not straps and other parts which may easily deteriorate in use and that all its actions are automatic, automatically holding the beddings and loose parts in the required positions without folding them and performing its several duties with very little and very convenient personal attention of the user.

Since lately the housing facilities are always more and more restricted and the apartments, above all in large cities, very much reduced and built with smaller rooms, a furniture of the style as described hereinbefore would meet a very acute necessity, at the same time contributing to the comfort of the large masses of the public which can not afford to have all the different pieces of furniture that are combined in my device. My furniture can be manufactured at a very low cost since all its parts are simple and of standard make and will make such a furniture accessible even to those whose finansaid lied frame being roigat ably applied." to;

ciel meanszzuze.,very moderate Ifinally eon:

si den my furniture.asenideal for club's, liar-- ranks; boys camps; institutions, em, ,Where the same lspace can he used in different ways. during theedayj and .atn; ght, w th a Nery neg:

ligible amount; of effort v 1m (I work necessary.

Agaim in czlsevof the-need z-for: awlzuger free space myconnyertillle furniture {712111136 .stered' or. set fisidei and againii-sed very comfort? ably and ea sily.

Having; thusdeseribedmy invention, hat 1 Claim? as. new and Want. to PI OtQC' IZ by Letters-Patent is 1'. In a eonvertilfle fm'nitme .the; eombination. of no. base frame wifh. a. bedl frame,

saidlmse frame, of mlioldiixgefi'ame slideably applied nto Sl1lbfl$0 frame and of means toihterE-conmect said bed frame ,to said holding fl'mne inusuchaananner. that said. holdi 11g; frame wi ll slide upwardly when 321.1 d 1 bedfiame is moved into-.1 vertical positionand will slide downwardly when. said bed, frame is brought into va hdrizonija li p ositien.v

2. Ih'a convertiblefurniture, a flb'ase frame, a bed frame, applied rotatably into sa-idlbase.

frame, an holding frame applied slideably into, said 1 base. frame and .meens vto conneet o seidbed frame to said holding, 'frmne, said means. .comprising an. oseilletingg'w lever ap pliedto. saidbtzdirame, a pulley atthe end of. said leye r and a chain 1 lead. around said pulley andeomnecti g the lower portions of said holdingfi'ame and said bed frame.

3. In a convertible furnif-u 116, a base structure, a 1' bed" frame rotatably appliedlon said base structure,.zm. holdihg iifime venticallj and slideably, appliedin Q's ajd llflSBqStl'llCtlllfi, a rotatable lever applied to said Shine tUIE, a pulleyon said levelya chain eopmcling; the lower ends ofisaid holding lframe and .said bedk frmne. and nppliedzufopnd said Signed New York, .inlhe county of. New Yorkiaa dustate of ew York this 19th day, of MayA'. D1922;

CHARLES SCHARL 

